Northern Ireland

We traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland to get a feel for the tension that remained in the metropolitan city. Belfast, the capital city, experienced much sectarianism and political unrest that resulted in a lot of death and destruction; this period, now known as the “Troubles,” lasted from 1969 to 1998. This sectarianism formed from the political and religious beliefs of the Protestants and the Catholics, who were at odds with one another. The provisional IRA represented the Nationalist (Catholic) side while the Ulster Defense Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force represented the Unionist agenda of the Protestants. The phrase “Home rule is Rome rule” sums up the belief behind the possibility of a Protestant minority and the Unionist opposition towards the nationalist movement. The warfare was incredibly violent and ruthless in its discrimination against Protestants and Catholics. A number of bombings took the lives of many innocent citizens. The Troubles ended with the Good Friday Agreement between Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998.

Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Jail was built in 1796 and served as one of two transportation jails in Ireland, sending about 4000 people to Australia, a British penal colony. In 1858, the jail ceased to be a transformation jail and became a regular jail. The jail had 3 guiding principles: silence, solitude, and supervision.  Many jails constructed later were modeled after Kilmainham. It was one of the forerunners in jail reformation. Instead of multiple prisoners being held in one room, each prisoner had his or her own cell, reducing the amount of violence and rowdiness among prisoners. The newest part of the jail, the Panopticon, was modeled after a Victorian prison and was added in 1861. This new section contained a spiral staircase, great acoustics and the ability to see every cell door. The acoustics are so good that guards could hear prisoners whisper. Bridget says that everyone has the right to whisper and not be heard. This new wing had a large skylight to provide light from the heavens to help orient the prisoners’ spiritual life. Even the old wings had large windows put in. The jail was originally built on a hill with for the purpose of ventilation. However, it is built of limestone, which absorbs water. For the first two weeks the ground floor of the prison was unusable because of the dampness. The earliest prisoners had a bucket for a toilet and a plank bed and would spend 23 hours a day in their cell.  A single candle had to last 2 whole weeks. Eventually, in the newer wing, the prisoners were spending 22 hours a week in their cells and were given 3 meals a day. They also had a wheel that they could spin for hours and hours if they got bored.  In 1848, gas lights were installed.

The jail saw seven rebellions. The one we learned the most about was the Easter Rising of 1916. All of its leaders were jailed at Kilmainham, 14 of whom were executed in Stonebreaker’s Yard.  The leaders were put in the same corridor, Constance Markovitz being the only woman put with the men. The leaders included Pearse, Connolly, Plunkett, Eamon De Valera and others. Emma was really excited to see Constance’s jail cell and her belongings in the museum because she had been researching so much about her.  Eamon De Valera was the last prisoner in Kilmainham Jail during the Civil War.  The jail closed in 1924 and by 1960 it was in ruins. The volunteer renovation is what is seen today.

Outside the jail was a group of statues that represented the 14 leaders of the 1916 rebellion that were shot. They were blindfolded and had bullet holes in them where they were shot. We thought that they were very sad and very moving at the same time. This jail is very historically significant because it has played such a huge role in both the rebellions and the Great Famine. During the famine, the jail became crowded with starving people who would rather be jail and be guaranteed a meal than be out in the streets. Today, the jail serves as a reminder of Irish history and Irish freedom. The executions that took place here sparked the revolution that gave us the Irish free State which then became Ireland as it is today.

Many of us were very moved by the story of Grace and Joseph Plunkett, who were married at the jail and enjoyed just a 3-hour marriage before Joseph Plunkett was taken out and executed for his role in the Rising.

After Kilmainham, we visited Arbor Hill Cemetery, the burial place of the 14 executed leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. Sadly, none of the families of the leaders received the bodies after the executions. The corpses were taken to Arbor Hill and put in a mass grave filled with quicklime, which burned the remains. Ethan said that seeing the Proclamation written on the wall behind the grave was powerful because he saw it as sealed in death-the Proclamation would not have meant nearly as much if the leaders had not been martyred. The leaders’ deaths gave the people something to fight for.

Cathedrals of Dublin

We visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the largest cathedral in Ireland. It has been a part of Ireland’s history for over 800 years. Besides being a site of faith, it also housed the first school on the island: the Cathedral Choir School. As legend goes, it was initially constructed on the site of a well that St. Patrick used to baptize people. The cathedral is made from local limestone and stone imported from Bristol. The Cathedral started off as a Catholic church, but is now an Anglican church. Over time, it has been reconstructed and redesigned to fit the changing beliefs of the country. When it became Anglican after the English Reformation, statues were removed and much of the rich detail and decorations were taken down. It soon was neglected, and was temporarily used as a courthouse and university before regaining its cathedral status in 1555 under Queen Mary. 

(A snowy Saint Patrick's. Beautiful but cold!)

At the west end of the cathedral, there is a three-paneled stained glass window depicting the story of Saint Patrick in 39 frames. Another notable feature of the Cathedral is the Door of Reconciliation. This is the door that Gerald Fitzgerald cut a hole in to shake the hand of the Butlers to make peace after a longtime feud. This is where we get the saying “to chance your arm.” Katy loved this story because her ancestors are part of the Fitzgerald family. Also, in one of the knaves, there are some British flags from World War II from the regiments that were stationed there. They will be there until they fall down or disintegrate. 

(Katy, descended from the Fitzgeralds, and Brianna, descended from the Butlers, reenact the historic handshake of their ancestors.)

We also visited Christ Church that was founded in 1038 by King Silkenbeard. It is the oldest Cathedral in Ireland. It was originally built of wood and then rebuilt and enlarged by Strongbow in stone in approximately the 12^th century. The church contains the oldest and largest working crypt in England and Ireland. An important distinction between St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ church is their role as separate diocese. Christchurch serves as the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough while St. Patrick’s Cathedral serves as the national cathedral over all of Ireland. The first archbishop of Dublin was Laurence O’Toole in 1128. The archbishop currently has his seat at Christchurch. In 1541, all the relics at Christchurch were burned in order to become a part of the Anglican Church so that they wouldn’t be disbanded by Henry VIII. In 1562, the church was blown down in a storm leaving one wall standing at a noticeable 45-degree angle. Erica thought that was very interesting that the wall was still there. Christchurch also has the largest bell chimes in the world; the largest of the 19 bells weighs over 4 tons. The church is still a fully functioning church of Ireland. We found it amazing that the first ever performance of G.F. Handel’s Messiah was performed at Christchurch in 1742. When the king heard the famous "Hallelujah Chorus," the music moved him so much that he immediately stood; people continue to honor this tradition in modern times by standing whenever they hear the "Hallelujah Chorus" performed. 

(Christchurch from a distance)

These sites of worship are significant today because they have been around for hundreds of years. They have been places where people have congregated for that long, and still do today. Some of the people from our group actually went to Christchurch and St. Patrick’s for Easter Sunday, a very unique and moving experience. Being at St. Patrick’s for Easter caused Bridget to reflect on the generations of people who have spent their Easters in the same building. It made her reflect on the importance of faith in Ireland and how is has been a staple for so long. Kelly found it interesting that Strongbow is buried in Christchurch, but the effigy is no longer Strongbow because the original was destroyed in a storm. They had to replace it with the effigy of a Norman crusader because this was where people gathered to pay taxes. Ethan’s favorite thing was learning about “minding your p’s and q’s” in Christchurch. This refers to knowing your limit of pints and quarts of beer. We loved visiting these two exquisite cathedrals.

(One of the stained glass windows depicting stories from the life of Christ)

Derry-Londonderry

            Derry is a walled city, originally named Dura by Saint Columba. Dura comes from the Gaelic for “oak leaf,” which is also the symbol of the city. Derry was plagued by civil war and sectarian conflicts during the Troubles. People have made significant steps toward peace although prejudice still exists. This can be seen even in the city’s official name, Derry-Londonderry, a combination of the Nationalist and Unionist opinions. Around the city we noticed that there were UK and Irish flags, thus showing the continuing search for identity. The city’s minority Protestants are in power over the majority Catholics; Catholics were forced to live in the poorer bog side of the river while the Protestants lived on the fertile lands on the other side. This divide led to significant tension and fighting between Catholics and Protestants. These tensions culminated on 31 January 1972, commonly known as Bloody Sunday; British soldiers opened fire on a peaceful protest, killing 14 people and wounding 12. 

(Several lampposts in Derry had the tricolor flag of the Republic of Ireland painted on the bottom.)

            One of the most fascinating parts of the city was the series of murals painted on the walls of buildings by the Bogside artists: brothers Tom and William Kelly and their friend Kevin Hasson. When we arrived, Brian gave us a magnificent tour of all of the murals.  The murals were painted to tell the story of the city without a political agenda.  There were 12 murals total, but we found 3 particularly powerful: “Death of Innocence,” “The Petrol Bomber.” and “The Oak Leaf.” 

“Death of Innocence” depicts a young girl named Annette McGavigan who was shot and killed by a British soldier in 1971. She was the 100^th victim of the Troubles. She was outside because she needed to gather rocks for a school project, and the British soldiers had to kill one more person to fulfill their quota. This was the sole reason why young Annette was killed that day. There is a broken gun on one side, which symbolizes a call for peace. A butterfly and crucifix are symbols of rebirth. This portrayal of Annette stands for all the innocent children who were killed during the Troubles. Kelly thought it was cool that the original artist painted the gun whole and the butterfly in black and white, with the intent of coming back later to fill in the butterfly and break the gun in two only when peace had been reached. This is how we see it today.

(The artists did not paint in the butterfly or break up the gun until 1997.)

            The next mural that impacted us was “The Petrol Bomber.” This mural shows the Battle of the Bogside in 1969. During the Battle of the Bogside, local people resisted British attempts to take down the barricades that they had put up to protect themselves. This mural depicts a young boy wearing a gas mask and carrying a homemade bomb. Brian told us that the boy was 12 years old at the time and is still alive today. One of the artists said, “This was our first mural and thought to be our best. As soon as the three of us painted it, we knew we had captured something of the spirit of the Bogside”. 

(Brian told us that the boy in this mural still remembers that day.)

            The last mural that we thought was striking was the last one in the series, “The Oak Leaf.” It is a multicolored checkerboard of 42 squares with an outline of a dove and oak leaf in white. The oak leaf is the city’s symbol, and the dove symbolizes peace. The mural shows the dove flying towards the lighter colored squares out of the darkness. It was designed by local school children. Kelly liked how the dove and oak leaf were intertwined, symbolizing hope. Erica thought it was cool that a city that has had so much trouble and heartache could still have so much hope. Bridget appreciated the colors and what they symbolized.

(This mural is the last one in the series.)

Derry is significant because of its history of violence and the process of reconciliation. The people have been through so much, yet they choose not to forget but instead to show the world what happened and why it was important. We think it’s cool that people from all over the world come to see this city and learn from this relatively recent struggle that still applies to people today.

Donegal Castle

 Donegal Castle, located in County Donegal, was built in 1474 by Sir Hugh O’Donnell and is protected by the River Eske on two sides. The O’Donnell line remained unbroken from the 13^th to the 17^th centuries. When Hugh O’Donnell recognized inevitable defeat, he destroyed his castle, rendering it useless to the advancing English.  In 1610, three years after the O’Donnell’s left during the Flight of the Earls, the castle was given to an English captain named Basil Brooke. 

            

(The crests of the O'Donnells [top] and the Cookes)

The castle underwent huge renovations when the Brooke family added the windows and Bartizan turrets. Then in 1623, the manor house was also added, possibly built with stones from the nearby Franciscan monastery. Most of the castle is composed limestone and sandstone. One of the castle’s defenses included a trip stairwell like the one we saw at Cahir Castle. The castle contained a garderobe, which functioned as a cloakroom as well as a bathroom. The ammonia would clean the clothing. The banquet hall was the most notable feature of the castle, containing exquisite tapestries, a massive fireplace and a vaulted ceiling. Emma loved the tapestries while Ethan dreamed of climbing the fireplace. Katy imagined using the fireplace to transport her to Hogwarts using the “Floo Network” from Harry Potter. We learned that there were two chambers on the level above the banquet hall: the bedchamber and the administrative chamber. On the next level, 17^th-century attic rooms allowed for sleeping quarters for soldiers, children, and servants. There was also a Franciscan monastery down the road which legend says may have been connected to the castle via secret tunnel.

(The part of the castle to the left reminded Kelly of a jail because of the barred windows.)

            This castle is historically significant because it represents the Ulster plantation under Cromwell and Elizabeth I. The O’Donnells, the O’Neills, and the Maguires were the last three families in Ulster after Henry VIII and Elizabeth I had successfully enforced British rule in the rest of Ireland. Donegal Castle stands as a reminder of the time of the Irish chieftains and the transition to the British occupation. It also shows the fighting spirit of the people who live there.

(The fireplace was so big that at least five people could fit in it standing up.)

            One of Ethan’s favorite things was learning that the greatest relic of the O’Donnell family was the Cathach Colm Cille, supposedly written by Saint Collumcille in the 6^th century. Erica was surprised by how small it was compared the other castles we have visited. The book embodies the split between St. Finian and St. Collumcille and instigates Collumcille’s self-imposed exile; this case could be viewed as the world’s first conflict over copyright issues. 

(Ethan really wanted to climb the walls, so he did!)